On Saturday we celebrated the 22nd Anniversary of the UCA Martyrs, the 6 Jesuits and the 2 women that were killed in 1989.
The vigil is much more than just a vigil, there are two other major events that place during the day: a soccer tournament and a giant art project called an alfombra. We each had to pick if we wanted to play in the tournament or work on the alfombra; I choose the alfombra mainly because I felt like my art skills were ever so slightly better than my soccer skills. After all the soccer tournament is a huge deal and I didn’t want to be the one bad player on the team. Anywho… before I talk about my day I’ll share a little bit about the soccer tournament. Between the Casa and the Becarrios we had 4 teams, 2 of men and 2 of women. Both of our men’s teams were unfortunately eliminated after round one however our women went on to play each other in the championship!! I was able to take some breaks from the alfombra and got to cheer on our teams with the students as well as Angelica and Brianna and Lillian from my praxis site! The family decided to come down to the vigil and Katy (Angelica’s daughter) played in tournament for our team! It was really cool to be able to share this awesome experience with my praxis family, cheering on my sisters to victory in the games.
The fam
Champs!
When I wasn’t watching soccer I was getting dirty…or perhaps just multicolored….working on the alfombra. An alfombra, which means carpet, is a huge work of art made on the pavement using different colored salt. We started by dividing our huge piece of concrete space into 36 sections and drawing out our design. We then mixed dyed sand with white salt in order to create the many shades of colors used in the alfombra. After we have all of the colors ready we begin placing them on the design on the concrete creating a giant piece of sand art on the ground. Different groups around campus had spots on the pavement and it was really interesting to walk around and see the other alfombras. Some of them were absolutely incredible, complete with images of Dean Brackley, Romero, and the martyrs all made entirely of salt. I’ve never made an alfombra before and I’ve definitely never made one in El Salvador with the becarrios but I think I might have found my new passion in life. It was such an intricate process and it was so cool to be able to see the work of art come together over the course of a few hours…I’m already planning on making some when I get back to SLU so if anyone would like to join me I’d appreciate the help ☺
Working on our alfombra
Finished product
Really amazing alfombra
Another really beautiful one
After the alfombra was completed and the soccer tournament played we headed home to rest a little bit before heading back to the UCA for the vigil. The vigil consisted of a candle-lit procession through the campus crossing over the alfombras, passing by different alters dedicated to the martyrs, while listening to music and words from Romero’s homilies. The procession was absolutely beautiful and “very El Salvador”. Thousands of people walked holding candles down a major street, passing by Burger King and McDonalds while cars drove by without giving a second glance as to what was occurring. Things like this just happen in El Salvador and I’m starting to realize this but it’s still hard to not compare what happened at the vigil here to what would have happened if we tried to do the same thing in the US. The crowd at the vigil was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Thousands of Salvadorans and North Americans from the very young to the very old walked in unity and in peace honoring those that have died before us. The war put a lot of pressure on the faith and hope of the people of El Salvador, so many people were lost and the pain still exists today. But the people continue to fight; they fight to keep the memory alive, they fight to never forget the War, they fight to continuously move forward.
The procession eventually led into the huge parking lot of the UCA where mass was held with at least 50 priests on stage and thousands upon thousands of people standing and sitting on the concrete. The mass was primarily officiated by Fr. Andreo who delivered one of the most impressive homilies I have ever heard. This country has gone through so much suffering. In the wake of a natural disaster, the 22nd anniversary of such influential martyrs, and in a time when human rights still are not given out easily; his homily did not sugar coat anything, it was very political and very forward – exactly as it should have been. Fr. Andreo spoke of the economic inequality, the violence, and the oppression that characterizes El Salvador. He spoke of fighting for change because these things SHOULD NOT exist. We hear about liberation theology all the time but learning in a classroom is one thing. However, looking around at a crowd of people cheering on a priest as he speaks of fighting to relieve the oppression of the poor is a much better lesson in my opinion.
After the mass the vigil became a giant party that lasted until 2 am complete with delicious food, dancing, and a concert led by our very own Tómas. This day was so surreal but at the same time so naturally raw and real. So much happened it is hard to believe that this really is my life.
- At one point during the evening I had the chance to meet Jon Sobrino, one of the most influential intellectual scholars and theologians in the Liberation Theology movement. Jon Sobrino is basically of a celebrity here, but he’s not the kind of celebrity you can chase down the street screaming their name…I mean…he’s a leader in a theological movement. But despite this difference Emily and I still did a little running to catch up with him before awkwardly trying to introduce ourselves in both Spanish and English. Luckily he did have somewhere to be so we didn’t have to stare with eyes and mouths wide open for too long but before we parted he did shake our hands and imparted a few words of wisdom and congratulations upon us.
- As I already said, part of the procession consisted of walking over the alfombras that people had spent hours making earlier. This kind of thing would normally bother me, all of that hard work for nothing, but that wasn’t the case. There was something beautiful about everyone walking together, blending the colors, dragging pieces of the alfombra across the road. Claire and I decided to walk the procession barefoot. We got a few weird stares at first but slowly more and more people around us began walking with their shoes off. There was something about feeling the salt and sand on your feet that made the connection to the moment that much stronger.
- As my feet turned all of the colors of the rainbow I looked up at the sky at the stars and than across the crowd at all of the candles and I remembered something William, our vigilante (night guard but really more like a little Salvadoran Buddha) told me. “Cada luz en el cielo es una persona muerte, aunque no pueden estar con nosotros nunca más en este mundo, todavía están presente en nuestras vidas, protegiendo a nosotros, guiando a nosotros” (Every light in the sky is a dead person, even though they can no longer be with us in this world, they are still present in our lives, protecting us, guiding us). The vigil is all about celebrating and honoring those that died during the war. The reality of this hit me when I was able to look up to the sky and see more light than I have ever seen before.
- As we were getting ready to leave the vigil I bumped into someone who then screamed my name in the typical Salvadoran accent. As I turned around I saw Kenia, my campo sister standing behind me. As I gave her a huge hug I looked behind her to see Froilan and Fidalina (my campo parents) smiling and waving. I didn’t really enjoy my campo experience, I just didn’t think I had a good bond with my family, but seeing them at the vigil was very exciting. What was even more exciting though was seeing how excited they were to see me. They asked me about school, and the rain, they shared stories of their son in the US and life in Carasque and of course recommended I go eat some tamales. As I walked to the bus later after saying goodbye I couldn’t help but recognize how important my campo family is to my time here in El Salvador. I also couldn’t help but feel like I belong. The fact that I knew Salvadorans from all over the country at the vigil really showed me that I have become a part of this country.
I had an absolutely amazing time at the vigil; it was such a great opportunity to be with all of the people I love, honoring the country that I have really come to love. The Salvadorans fought a battle that was supposed to end with the Peace Accords but the reality is the fight continues on. The Vigil was a chance for like-minded people to meet and recharge so they can continue their fight toward peace and justice and I am honored to have been a part of this beautiful day.
A small portion of all of the people taking part in the procession
Tómas!
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